Cigarette turning device



y 1950 J. T. DALTON 2,509,725

CIGARETTE TURNING DEVICE Filed Nov. 2, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR J H T flAL ra/v BY 55 4, M51310 @Mm M m ATTORNEY Patented May 30, 1950 f 2,509.72? IGARETTE TURNING Davies John Dalton, Durham, N. C., assignor to The American Tobacco Company, New York, N; Y.,

a corporationof New Jersey W Application November 2, 1948, Serial No. 57,927 I 4 Claims. (Cl.'198--33) This invention relates to the manufacture of cigarettes and more particularly to improvements in cigarette making machines employed in the manufacture of tipped cigarettes.

In' the manufactureiof cigarettes, tobacco is delivered in uniform amounts from a tobacco feederto a cigarette making machine; The tobacco so fed is passed through a tubular member; the cigarettepaper placed around it and sealed and j the product then cut to a predetermined-length to produce cigarettes. The completed cigarettes -at the outlet of the cigarette making machine are'fed across the front of the machine on a belt Where they are inspected and placed in containers to be carried to the packaging machines. g A

In the manufacture of tipped cigarettes the tipping material of double the size of the tip is placed on the cigarette before severing at intervals equal to the lengthgof two cigarettes. The cigarette is then severed both at a point intermediate of adjacent sections of the tipping material and in the middle of each section of the tipping material. As a result the tipped cigarettes are delivered from the cigarette making machine alternate cigarettes reversed, that is, the tip on one cigarette is at the forward end and the tip on the next cigarette is at the rear end. Hertqf oreit has' 'been the practice toprovide two transverse belts todeliver the cigarettes across the front of the machine for. inspection. Suitable meansare provided for feedingeach alternate cigarette to the inner belt and the next cigarette is fed to the outer belt. This results in the cigarettes traveling along the transverse belts to the operator or' inspector in reversed positions In removing the cigarettesit is thus necessary 'for the operator to reverse those taken froin'oneof the belts before placing them in the container so that the" cigarettes will be delivered to the packagingmachine with the tips of all of the cigarettes at the same end.

In the present invention I provide means for turning the cigarettes delivered to one of the transverse belts so that all of the cigarettes pass the operator with the tips in the same relative position thereby avoiding the necessity of turning the cigarettes taken from one of the belts. To accomplish this, I deliver each alternate cigarette to the inner belt as heretofore. The alternate cigarettes are delivered to a reversing mechanism comprising two series of radially disposed rotating arms. These arms are arranged on a platform or table provided with circular guide Walls so that the cigarette is conveyed about the center of each setof arms; *Ihefirst set'ofarms carry the cigarette "through 'a' path of substan' tiall'y 270 whence it falls t""a"1'ower level at the pointwhere the second :set of arms is arranged. The second'setof arms rotates in' a reverse direc tion and again carry the'cigarettethroughapath of substantially, 90 whence'itpasses through an opening to the second beltw In this travel the position of the tip of"'the*cigarette :has been re versed so that the cigarettes on the two transverse belts, are then arranged with their tips at the same end. In the accompanying drawings I have shown one; embodiment of the invention. In this showi i 1. .i '0...

Fi -1. a pl n i w: a F Fig. 2 is a vertical, sectionalview on line Z -2 of s-L. M,

Fig. 3 is a'sirnilar view on line 3 3 of Fig. 1;

.J vi .H Iqi g.f4 is a detailed, Vertical, sectional view on line 4- -4 of Fig. 1. I

Referring to'the theiref erence numeral I designates a belt bymea'ns of whichthe formed and severed cigarettes are delivered from the cigarette'making rnacl ine (not shown) As is 'well known, the cigarette p sses't the beltl fromfth'e tube of the c g rette making machine past a cutter (not shown) which severs the tubular cigarettebody at proper intervals to deliver cigarettes r me desired length. "The belt 4 passes ovefpulleyslnot shown) one of which is driven in any suitable "manner. In m'anuf a cturing tipped cigarettes, the tipping material of double length is placedori the papraiintrvais equal to the length of two cigarettes." A cutter severs the tubular body, atapoint intermediate between two stripsof tipping'inatr'ial and also at the centerfof the tipping manna so that, as the cigarettesemerge from t e cigarette making machine, the position 'ofithe ti'ps "is reversed. The cigarette may'be conveyed across the front of the machine over a tablei Shawn) belts 2 and 3. It"has"heretofor' een customaryto provide a device for removing each alternate cigarette from the belt I to the belts 2 and 3. One of. such devices is shown in alignment with the belt 2. As shown (see Fig. 2) it consists of a hub 4 having a plurality of arms or blades 5. The hub is mounted on a suitable shaft 6 which is driven in any suitable manner. The speed of rotation is such that one of the arms 5 passes transversely over the belt as each alternate cigarette moves along the belt I to deliver it to the belt 2. A plurality of such cigarettes C is shown 3 on belt 2 with the tips T inwardly or away from the front of the table.

If the alternate cigarette were delivered to the belt 3 by a similar device, the tip would be reversed. To provide mechanism for turning the cigarette, I deliver it to a table or platform E. A plurality of radial arms 8 are rotatably mounted over this table. As shown, these arms are carried by a shaft 9. This shaft is supported in suitable bearings l carried by a bearing plate I I. Shaft 9 is provided with a bevel gear l2 meshing with a bevel pinion 13 on the shaft 6. The portion of the table over which the cigarettes are conveyed by the radial arms 8 is surrounded by a circular wall or flange 14. As shown in Fig. l, the center of the turning device is substantially in alignment with the belt I. As each alternate cigarette passes along the belt, it is engaged by one of the radial arms 8. The wall M prevents displacement of the cigarette and the cigarette is conveyed over the table i through a path of substantially 270. At this point the table 3 terminates and a second table 95 is arranged leeneath it. The second table is likewise surrounded by a Wall or flange it to form a guide for the cigarettes. A shaft I1 is arranged centrally of the lower table, this shaft being supported in suitable bearings 53 which are also carried. by the bearing plate H. The shafts s and H are provided with spur gears It to rotate the shaft i! in the opposite direction from the direction of rotation of the shaft 9. Shaft i'i also carries a plurality of radial arms 29. 0

When the cigarette passes on to the table l5, one of the arms 28 then carries it through a path of approximately 90 to a point where it is over the belt 4. At that point, the plate or table is provided with an opening 21 through which the cigarette falls on to the belt 3. As the alternate cigarettes delivered to the table 1 were arranged with the tips toward the center, when they pass on to the table [5, the tips are at the outer edge toward the flange 16. Thus, as the cigarettes pass through the opening 2i to the belt 3, the tips are arranged inwardly as indicated and are thus similarly arranged to the cigarettes on the belt 2. When the cigarettes reach the table (not shown) where the operator or inspector removes them and places them in containers to be carried to the packaging machines, it is therefore not necesu sary to reverse the cigarettes from one of the belts.

At the point where the cigarettes pass from the table E to the belt 3, an adjusting plate 22 may be provided. This plate may be slidably mounted at the edge of the table it (see Fig. i) to permit desired adjustment to properly place the cigarette on the belt 3.

I claim:

1. A device of the character described comprising a belt to deliver cigarettes from a cigarette making machine, a pair of belts travelin at right angles to the first belt, means for delivering alternate cigarettes to one of said pair of belts, a platform in alignment with the first belt, a radially disposed rotating arm on the platform to propel the alternate. cigarette through anar'c', a second platform at a lower elevation than the first platform, a radially disposed rotating arm on the second platform rotating in the opposite direction from the first mentioned arm, a portion of its path being beneath the path of the first arm, and means for delivering a cigarette from the second platform to the second of the pair of belts.

2. A device of the character described comprising a belt to deliver cigarettes from a cigarette making machine, a pair of belts travelin at right angles to the first belt, means for delivering alternate cigarettes to one of said pair of belts, a platform in alignment with the first belt, a radially disposed rotating arm on the platform to propel the alternate cigarette through an arc, a second platform at a lower elevation than the first platform, a radially disposed rotating arm on the second platform rotating in the opposite direction from the first mentioned arm, a portion of its path being beneath the path of the first arm, means for delivering a cigarette from the second platform to the second of the pair of belts, and a guide wall surrounding each plata second platform at a lower elevation than the first platform, a radially disposed rotating arm on the second platform rotating in the opposite direction from the first mentioned arm, a portion of its path being beneath the path of the first arm, a portion of the second platform extending over the second of the pair of belts and being provided with an opening through which a cigarette propelled by the rotating arm passes on to the second of the pair of belts.

4. A. device of the character described comprising a belt to deliver cigarettes from a cigarette making machine, a pair of belts traveling at right angles to the first belt, means for deliveringalternate cigarettes to one of said pair of belts, a platform in alignment with the first belt, a, radially disposed rotating arm on the platform to propel the alternate cigarette through an arc, a second platform at a lower elevation than the first platform, a radially disposed rotating arm on the second platform rotating in the opposite direction from the first mentioned arm, a portion of its path being beneath the path of the first arm, a portion of the second platform extending over the second of the pair of belts and being provided with an opening through which a cigarette propelled by the rotating arm passes on to the second of the pair of belts, and a guide wall surrounding each platform.

JOHN T. DALTON.

No references cited. 

